The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) reports that Technology-related employment in Florida grew by an estimated 12,020 jobs in 2017 and the industry contributed $63.5 billion to the state’s economy, according to Cyberstates™ 2018.

Florida also made a big jump in its Cyberstates Innovation Score, placing 2nd this year, up from 23rd a year ago. This ranking is based on a state-by-state per capita analysis of new tech patents awarded, tech startups and new tech business establishments.

Spark Growth is delighted to be a part of Florida’s growing ecosystem of Smart Cities tech and planning, startups & entrepreneurship, and technology startups.

With 539,100 workers, Florida ranks 4th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in net tech employment.1 The Florida tech workforce makes up 5.7 percent of the state’s total workforce. The average tech industry wage in Florida is $89,660; 87 percent higher than the state’s average private sector annual wage of $47,880.

The tech sector is responsible for an estimated 7.4 percent ($63.5 billion) of the overall economy in Florida. The number of tech business establishments in the state grew by 3.6 percent in 2017, and now totals an estimated 31,835.

Florida saw a 64.5 percent increase from 2016 to 2017 in the number of job postings related to emerging technologies – such as the Internet of Things, smart cities, drones, artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual reality and augmented reality, and blockchain. While these positions accounted for a small percentage of total tech job postings, it’s an indication of where organizations are headed with the technology investments.

Cyberstates 2018 (#cyberstates) is based on CompTIA’s analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, EMSI, Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights, and other sources. Estimates for 2017 are subject to change as government data is revised and updated. The complete Cyberstates 2018 report, with complete national, state and metropolitan level data, is available at http://www.cyberstates.org/